Russian Navy plans further expansion

The Russian submarine, Yuri Dolgorukiy, has been passed into service by the Russian Navy. The inauguration took place at the Sevmash shipbuilding company in Severodvinsk, Archangelsk Region on Jan. 10. Source: RIA Novosti / Pavel Kononov

The Russian submarine, Yuri Dolgorukiy, was passed into service during its inauguration at the Sevmash shipbuilding company in Severodvinsk, Archangelsk Region on Jan. 10. This indicates that Russia is finally aware of the need for a powerful and effective navy.

Two landmark events took place during the final days of 2012 and in the begining of 2013 at the Sevmash
shipbuilding company in Severodvinsk of Archangelsk Region.

To begin with, the
navy was presented with the first Project 955, nuclear-powered, Borei-class,
ballistic missile submarine, which was put into operational service on Jan. 10. The submarine is equipped with 16 Bulava-30 strategic missiles (NATO
reporting name SS-NM-30), which each carry 6-10 nuclear warheads – multiple
independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRVs). The submarine is named
after Yuri Dolgorukiy, the founder of Moscow.

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Then, on the same day, a second ballistic missile submarine, Vladimir Monomakh,
was set afloat. A third, slightly longer Borei-class submarine, Svyatitel
Nikolai, will be set forth soon.

There is an important reason why the new submarine will have a longer
hull: Svyatitel Nikolai and other ballistic missile submarines to follow will
carry 20 Bulava-30 MIRV missiles, instead of 16. The new project is codenamed
955A, as an upgrade from the original 955. The rest of the submarine will
remain the same. Russia
hopes to have at least four ballistic missile submarines operational in the
next three or four years.

These submarines will carry 68 missiles in total. The
Vladimir Monomakh has already begun mooring and sea trials, and another 955
Borei-class ballistic missile submarine, Alexander Nevsky, is also expected to
be commissioned. By 2020, Russia
plans to have eight ballistic missile submarines carrying a total of 148 Bulava
missiles. They will be added to the Project 667BDR Kalmar (Delta III) and Project 667BDRM Delfin
(Delta IV) submarines.

According to Cmdr. Viktor Chirkov of the Russian navy, the eight
Borei-class submarines, the 885 Yasen-class nuclear-powered submarines (the
first of which is called the Severodvinsk and is expected to be put into
service in 2013), modernized Project 949 Granit submarines (which included the
sunk Kursk submarine) and heavy nuclear-powered missile ships from the Project
1144 Orlan (including the flagship of the northern fleet, Pyotr Veliky) will
form the base of Russian strategic deterrent forces.

The commander-in-chief said in a recent interview that aircraft carriers
should make up the core of the deterrent forces. “A new generation aircraft
carrier must form the basis of these forces, together with the foreign-built
amphibious assault ship and helicopter carrier (the French Mistral),” Chirkov
said.

He explained that, unlike the heavy aircraft carriers of previous
generations (such as the Admiral Kuznetsov), this must be an all-new versatile
combat ship with an increased deadweight. It will be armed with manned weapons
and drones that will operate in the air, on the sea surface, underwater and
possibly in space.

The effectiveness of these ships will depend on the
availability of aerial picket and guidance aircraft in their air groups, along
with the armed reconnaissance drones.

The navy commander stressed that plans to create aircraft carriers involve
not only the design and construction of the ships.

“We are planning to create a
full-scale sea aircraft-carrying complex, which will include ships, stationing
sites with the requisite infrastructure (including social facilities, aircraft,
and training center for ship and aircraft crews), as well as other components.
We must provide the basis for the creation of the sea aircraft-carrying complex
by 2020,”
said Chirkov.

The core of the surface naval forces of Russia, at both far and short
ranges, will be formed by Project 22350 and Project 20380 frigates and corvettes
and their modifications. Some of these are being developed at St.
Petersburg and Kaliningrad
shipbuilding companies.

“They will be replaced by modular design ships equipped
with a broad range of robotic tools,” said Chirkov. In his words, a new class
destroyer with an increased combat and defensive potential – including anti-ballistic
missile potential – will become the main ship in the ocean zone in the medium term.

Chirkov also revealed that the first ship of this kind will be the
advanced harbor defense corvette.

“The ship is already under development. It
will perform a wide range of functions normally required in coastal regions and
currently fulfilled by ships and other forces and facilities. It will have
anti-submarine, anti-mine, anti-ship and air defense capacity and be capable of
laying mines and providing fire support for assault forces and land troops in
coastal areas,” the commander said.

Chirkov explained that the corvette is a phase in the process of the navy
transferring to modular ships of increased deadweight. The approach toward
module construction and robotic automation of combat systems that were originally
developed for the harbor defense corvette will later be applied to other ships,
creating the future image of the Russian fleet.

The admiral commented on the outlook for the Russian navy. “According to
our forecasts, after 2020, the navy will change to an extensive construction of
autonomous unmanned submarines and sea robotized systems, as well as special
sea-bottom equipment deployed mostly from undersea carriers of various types
and purposes.”

During the second development phase (from 2021 to 2030), the navy hopes to
complete the creation of and put into active service weapons based on new
physical principles, as well as to create a new generation of advanced weapons
for the general purpose naval forces. Also, there are plans to commission
ship-based early-warning aircraft, unmanned ship-based aircraft, and an advanced
complex of ship-based aviation.

“This period will see a transition to optionally-manned aviation (including
on the basis of modern manned aviation complexes), whereas the aircraft of the
old fleet will be replaced by advanced multi-purpose aviation materiel and
weapons, including unmanned aircraft,” Chirkov said.

It is hard to make plans for the period after 2020. Will the Russian
shipbuilding industry manage to perform these tasks?

It is important that Russia
is finally aware of the need for a powerful and effective navy, so there is
hope that Cmdr. Chirkov’s plans concerning the future of the Russian navy will pan
out.